Damned Lies and Statistics
by Whisperedflame
Summary: Dr. Halsey prepares herself for the inevitable meeting discussing the matters of Operation: Red Flag by reviewing the currently active Spartan-IIs and those who will be present at the meeting. She ponders all she has lost in the Covenant War and whether the success rate of Red Flag is enough to guarantee a victory against the Covenant.


0500 Hours, August 27, 2552 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, Reach UNSC Military Complex, Planet Reach, CASTLE Base

Dr. Halsey rushed into her private office, barely taking note of Deja who appeared on the holotable politely welcoming her into the study. She wasn't trying to be rude to the AI; she was simply stressed about what was soon to come in the next three hours. And she needed the extra time for proper preparation.

"You're not scheduled until 0700 hours at the amphitheater, Dr. Halsey. Is there something urgent?"

The Doctor hurriedly sat down in her antique chair, desperately looking around for any old coffee lying about the mess of old and new documents over the table and floor; only to find none. Disappointing. She'd have to simply calm her nerves naturally. Despite her distress, she managed to look over at Deja with calm and determined eyes, taking on a professional presentation in attempt to hide her mixed anxiety.

"I simply would like to analyze the intel we have on the remaining Spartans-before I see them all again," she said, pausing slightly to reminisce on her ever growing grievances she had for their unnatural lives. So many had been lost over the course of the war. This wasn't the first time she would review the current list of all still active Spartan-IIs; those who were effectively capable to physically serve on the battlefield against the Covenant.

Analyzing her Spartan's history strangely brought her comfort and a sense of hope. _I get to see who's still alive and protecting their species from utter genocide. Focusing on those whose lives aren't jeopardized, rather than those who have been lost._

Deja took note of her nervous pause. "Dr. Halsey, is there something else you would like to discuss? I am wholly open to any subject you may inquire-"

"Thank you Deja. I know," Dr. Halsey said curtly. She should've known Deja would have picked up her uneasiness. It's difficult to hide emotions from an AI. Even "dumb" ones.

"This-ordeal-is _truly_ nerve racking. RED FLAG has the possibility of ending this damned war, but also has the risk of failing from a lack of necessary intelligence on the Covenant. My Spartans are perfectly capable enough to complete their mission, but I can't blindly believe in a guaranteed success."

She had always taken an open approach in discussing private matters with her AIs. And Deja had been around for as long as she could remember. She had thought about discussing her doubts with Cortana, but decided against it, as that would end only in essentially talking to herself deeper into wishful thinking and internal lies. _That's what happens when you narcissistically design an intelligence based on yourself. Although, it had to be done._

"You would be lying to yourself Dr. Halsey, if you truly believed in a one hundred percent chance of success," Deja said matter-of-factly.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of Deja. I want this mission to be successful, but I can't stand the thought of losing more of my Spartans to a mission that has been rushed out the window to end a thirty year long war. Especially when the chances of its success are not within comforting values. I'd much rather help coordinate something analogous to _D-Day_ than _this_."

Deja looked down at her holographic stone tablet, as if analyzing its contents. "Despite the logically emotional response you're taking to this Doctor, the benefits of Mark V and Cortana accompanying the Spartans greatly increase the chances of success."

Dr. Halsey looked up at Deja, square in the eyes. "Yes, I am aware. Or else I wouldn't have spent so many years perfecting MJOLNIR and its integration with smart AI. All that to ensure my Spartans continue to live and fight another day." She paused, thinking of a quick analogy to compare the fragility of RED FLAG and its relation to the success of Mark V and the lives of her Spartans.

"But what happens when your product can't find a financially foundational consumer base? Especially when the number of your customers continues to decrease exponentially. You then risk bankruptcy and failure as a business when you gander a final marketing push towards drastically selling your product, just to see if it truly was innovative. The statistics are there Deja."

Deja continued to calmly address her. Something Dr. Halsey had always admired about dumb AIs and their illegitimate lack for genuine emotional expression.

"Respectfully, your grievances for the Spartans has seemingly clouded your judgement. You have grown attached to them outside permitted parameters you yourself had put in place in the very beginning."

"Times change Deja. So do I. For better or for worse." Of course, trying to explain the concept of internal change in one's character to a dumb AI was futile, as they were essentially static in personality. Dr. Halsey sighed and once again, for the countless times she had done so, simply accepted what was to come and settled to making sure everything at the meeting discussing the details of RED FLAG would go smoothly and efficiently.

"Deja, please pull up my personal folder of all the schematics and reports on all Spartans, regardless of their operational status, from conscription up to the present." She had made this a routine for herself, to review and study the history of her Spartans over the course of the war. This constant routine was the reason as to why she had so many framed photos and articles clustered around her walls. To act not only as a constant reminder of the success of her Spartans, but the fragile nature of themselves, brought down upon from the need of their immediate existence.

She accessed the first file, an entire list of all seventy five children conscripted into the Spartan-II Program, accompanied by some of her own notes:

 _Successfully conscripted Spartan-II candidates per Naval Code 45812 as of September 23, 2517:_

\- _Martin-001_

\- _Emily-002_

\- _James-005_

\- _Jai-006_

\- _Rasheed-007_

\- _Li-008_

\- _Naomi-010_

\- _Tetsuya-013_

\- _Baird-015_

\- _Serin-019_

\- _Kirk-018_

\- _Bonnie-021_

\- _Daisy-023_

\- _Kathryn-025_

\- _Joshua-029_

\- _Vinh-030_

\- _Otto-031_

\- _Kazuma-032_

\- _Samuel-034_

\- _Randall-037_

\- _Isaac-039_

\- _Douglas-042_

\- _Will-043_

\- _Anton-044_

\- _Keiichi-047_

\- _Mary-049_

\- _Paul-050_

\- _Kurt-051_

\- _Jorge-052_

\- _Margaret-053_

\- _Edward-055_

\- _Linda-058_

\- _Malcolm-059_

\- _Carrie-060_

\- _Maria-062_

\- _Sheila-065_

\- _Soren-066_

\- _Solomon-069_

\- _Frank-072_

\- _Blake-073_

\- _Casandra-075_

\- _Arthur-079_

\- _Neil-080_

\- _Rene-081_

\- _Leonard-083_

\- _Fhajad-084_

\- _Thomas-085_

\- _Kelly-087_

\- _Jerome-092_

\- _Grace-093_

\- _Brian-094*_

\- _Musa-096_

\- _Victor-101_

\- _Claire-102_

\- _Ralph-103_

\- _Fred-104_

\- _Adriana-111_

\- _Jason-113_

\- _Mark-115_

\- _Luke-116_

\- _John-117_

\- _Matthew-118_

\- _Elizabeth-119_

\- _Mike-120_

\- _Alexander-121_

\- _Joseph-122_

\- _Christopher-123_

\- _Eric-124_

\- _Oscar-129_

\- _Alice-130_

\- _Michael-135_

\- _Lisa-136_

\- _Caris-137_

\- _Cal-141_

\- _Roma-143_

\- _Caleb-095 Clone**_

\- _Jai-006 Clone**_

\- _Soren-066 Clone**_

\- _Serin-019 Clone**_

 _*Brian-094 is a unique variable. When retrieval teams failed to acquire Caleb-095, 094 was selected from the other 75 capable candidates chosen before the second budget restriction as a replacement for 095. Unfortunately, 094's flash clone was grown unnaturally quickly to accommodate time restraints. As a result, the memory transfer sequence was not as promising as the others; regretfully, 094's parents will suffer the ignorance of believing their son has suffered an exceedingly rare case of permanent dementia, severe metabolic cascade failure, and guaranteed brain cancer. Even with the cures against the latter, 094's clone's life expectancy is expected to be at least a week; the shortest of all estimated life spans gathered from the rest of the clone studies._

 _**Regrettably, these four are the unintended outcomes due to failures in communication and premature data. As mentioned above, Caleb-095 was unsuccessfully retrieved. However, his flash clone was still in our possession. This presented an issue in resource management, as it would have been a waste in production to simply dispose of the clone without giving it some sort of purpose. This was the case with the other three clones of Jai-006, Soren-066, and Serin-019: three candidates who simply didn't_ need _a flash clone replacement._

 _006 was an orphan who frequently left his homestead after dark and wouldn't return, on average, until a few days later. Despite the disciplinary actions taken against him, he was stubborn enough to continue his escapes. Over time, the punishments became less frequent and severe, as the orphanage grew tired of attempting to contain him without success. As such, his sudden disappearance shouldn't raise significant suspicion._

 _066 was successfully and healthfully living on his own, stranded and parentless; a definitive reason as to why he was chosen as a Spartan candidate. The need of a flash clone replacement to hide his sudden disappearance was not required._

 _019 was a neglected child by her mother, a prostitute and severe drug addict. 019's school teacher cared for her health and provided her with food at school, while 019 practically lived on her own similarly to 066. Due to this condition, a flash clone would have been arguably impractical._

 _Unfortunately, this imperative data was not gathered by intelligence until after the order for flash cloning all chosen candidates was initiated. As a result, we had four other flash clones that couldn't be utilized for their given purpose. So, the Vice Admiral and I came up with a resourceful solution._

 _The verdict? To use the four clones as variables to test upcoming training programs before the rest of the candidates performed them. The genetics of the four candidates that gave these clones form were superb. 095 was extremely intelligent and stood out even amongst the other Spartans. 006 was unnaturally stubborn and resistant to extreme discipline, with an adaptive mindset. 066 is presumed to be, at least from all gathered intelligence about him, the strongest of them all. And 019 is essentially a perfect mixed balance of the other three. Exceptional qualities passed onto their clones that should guarantee a longer life expectancy within the rigorous training regimes. Adequate test subjects._

 _{Ironically, I was afraid to simply allow the clones to be terminated. Of all the inhumane and illegal crimes we have already committed in this project (and will continue to make), that was the one action I refused to happen out of human indecency._

 _I didn't need the recently fresh deaths of innocent children in my mind before the Spartans had even began their training.}_

Dr. Halsey remembered those stressful times. She treated the clones with the same amount of respect and care as with the others within appropriate project boundaries, but their very existence under her care proved her deceit.

Seeing this, many within Section-3 who were associated with the cloning portion of the Project wanted them disposed of to save valuable time and resources. This was the beginning in an undesirable chain of events that painted a target not only on her back, but the entirety of the Spartan-II program as well. _They got what they wanted, eventually._

"The clones of Jai, Soren, and Caleb performed exceptionally well, away from the others, despite their physical shortcomings," Deja said. "Had they survived all the way up to augmentation, the predicted performance results from the rest of the candidates, along with the efficiency of the training routines themselves, would have increased exponentially."

Dr. Halsey remembered the death of the first clone, the one that belonged to Serin. On the day before training began, 019's clone had learned her purpose in life when she overheard her guards talking about the kidnappings. She rebelled against her guards and was later constrained and quarantined. Halsey refused selective neural paralysis to wipe her memory, keeping to her established moral code in treating the clones like the others. 019 was later found dead from slit wrists in her cell; she had stolen a combat knife from her guards during the skirmish. Because all four clones were separated until the first day of training, the other three had no idea she even existed.

Caleb's clone was the first official death due to training. His trainers had forgotten to give him his medication that morning, to slow down or prevent the onset of metabolic cascade failure; experimental medical technology that was being developed within Section-3 for the other two clones. When Caleb's clone was testing aquatic exercises for the other seventy five children, he experienced a sudden heart attack from the exhaustion and drowned. The trainers were discharged after the accident. Bioscans indicated that metabolic cascade failure had indeed taken place well into the clone's training, and that without the medications to prevent it from becoming fatal, the clone's system immediately went into cardiogenic shock.

She believed that the death of Caleb's clone led to the later deaths of the other two clones, who were emotionally discomforted after the event. Soren's clone was privately training in the woods, learning navigation and ambush tactics, when suddenly, he unnaturally lashed out on one of the trainers, forcing him into a choke hold and killing him. The clone was then surrounded by the others who attempted to subdue him, but failed when he was knocked out unconscious and died of a brain hemorrhage soon after. It was a regrettable incident.

Unfortunately, after hearing about the death of Soren's clone, Jai's clone managed to escape the facility that same day (similar actions to his original counterpart) and committed suicide at the spot in which Soren's struggle occurred. Dr. Halsey, along with the facility's numerous psychologists agreed that it was due to emotional distress and the lack of worldly understanding brought down upon the clone. Which all tied back to their unnatural physiology. This case of bad luck, and the prior two events, were covered up and never directed towards the heads of ONI.

 _With the exception of the Vice Admiral of course. Just another lie amongst a larger pile of others surrounding the Spartan-II project. But such moral concerns will never fade from my memory. Despite the misgivings, it was regrettably justified._

"The clones got the results we were looking for," Dr. Halsey said. "And even though their deaths were detrimental, they weren't murder, nor were they in vain. What predictions were made from the results we had, plausible presets were projected for all future exercises, increasing a certain amount of efficiency. Thus, cutting down some costs in the long run, albeit minimal."

"Doctor, you know that wasn't the main reason why their deaths were beneficial overall."

"Yes, their deaths were ideal cover ups of their existence. For a time I suppose…." Dr. Halsey was surprised she hadn't yet been charged of lying to ONI and breaking the _UN Colonial Mortal Dictata,_ the legislation moralizing total human cloning procedures, labeling them as immoral acts against one's humanity, and thus making them illegal in all research fields and civilian life.

Surely ONI knew about her's and the Vice Admiral's attempts to cover up these accidents and the nature of the clones themselves? Was it due to ONI simply needing her assistance with the war effort? Or perhaps it had something to do with whatever secret Spartan project ONI was directing behind her back, acquiring her classified and personal information regarding the program. The appearance of NOBLE Team, Mendez missing, and her records on the Spartan-II project being stolen from her databases all but confirmed something else going on behind the curtains.

Regardless, she knew ONI needed her. _But I have the uncanny feeling they won't require my assistance much longer._

She pulled up the second listing of Spartans. The one showing the fateful aftermath of augmentation, or "Graduation Day," as Mendez and the Spartans had called it.

 _Listing of the thirty three official candidates who were successfully augmented after procedures; March 30, 2525:_

\- _James-005_

\- _Jai-006_

\- _Li-008_

\- _Naomi-010_

\- _Daisy-023_

\- _Joshua-029_

\- _Vinh-030_

\- _Samuel-034_

\- _Randall-037_

\- _Isaac-039_

\- _Will-043_

\- _Anton-44_

\- _Keiichi-047_

\- _Kurt-051_

\- _Jorge-052_

\- _Linda-058_

\- _Malcolm-059_

\- _Maria-062_

\- _Sheila-065_

\- _Solomon-069_

\- _Arthur-079_

\- _Leonard-083_

\- _Kelly-087_

\- _Grace-093_

\- _Fred-104_

\- _Adriana-111_

\- _John-117_

\- _Mike-120_

\- _Joseph-122_

\- _Oscar-129_

\- _Lisa-136_

\- _Caris-137_

\- _Cal-141_

 _Listing of the twelve official "washout" candidates. Those who rejected the augmentations, survived, and were discharged and reassigned to ONI; March 30, 2525:_

\- _Emily-002: Rejected the Muscular Enhancement Injections and Carbide Ceramic Ossification in both arms. Arms have become useless, and shoulders strain to support the physical anomalies. Reassigned to UNSC Hopeful for amputation and rehabilitation.*_

\- _Baird-015: Rejected the Superconducting fibrification of neural dendrites and Occipital capillary reversal. Has developed a moderate case of Parkinson's disease and has become permanently blind. Reassigned to UNSC Hopeful for organ cloning for a new pair of cloned, augmented eyes, and rehabilitation._

\- _Kirk-018: Rejected Carbide Ceramic Ossification. Severely disfigured skeletal structure. Now resides in a neutral-buoyancy gel tank. Reassigned to ONI Section 2 Division._

\- _Soren-066: Rejected the Muscular Enhancement injections and Catalytic Thyroid implant. Left hand somewhat disfigured, while both legs are more so due to extreme muscular tension. Is currently comatose until further notice._

\- _Cassandra-075: Rejected the Superconducting fibrification of neural dendrites and developed a lifelong case of Fletcher's syndrome. Reassigned to UNSC Hopeful for rehabilitation._

\- _Rene-081: Rejected Carbide Ceramic Ossification. Severely disfigured skeletal structure. Now resides in a neutral-buoyancy gel tank. Reassigned to ONI Section 1 Division._

\- _Fhajad-084: Rejected the Superconducting fibrification of neural dendrites and Carbide Ceramic Ossification. Has developed a severe case of Parkinson's disease and right femur is unnaturally twisted. Uncontrollable shakes of the body, and is unable to walk properly without significant assistance. Reassigned back to ONI Section 3 Division.*_

\- _Musa-096: Rejected Muscular Enhancement injections and Carbide Ceramic Ossification in lower abdomen. Legs have become useless, and significant damage to the lower spinal cord results in permanent paralysis. Reassigned to UNSC Hopeful for prosthetic surgery.*_

\- _Ralph-103: Slightly Rejected Muscular Enhancement Injections and Catalytic Thyroid Implant. Injection of the former was stopped before further damage was dealt (thanks to the prior accident of 066), and the latter was curtailed soon after to comply with his system. Reassigned to ONI Security.*_

\- _Jerome-092: Rejected the Occipital Capillary Reversal and Muscular Enhancement Injections in a similar to manner to 042 and 130. All three have become permanently blind, and their bodies simply did not react positively to the injections. Reassigned to UNSC Hopeful for rehabilitation and organ cloning for a new pair of augmented eyes.*_

\- _Douglas-042: See Jerome-092 above._

\- _Alice-130: See Jerome-092 above._

 _Listing of the thirty official candidates who failed the augmentation procedures and were fatally wounded, resulting in their deaths; March 30, 2525:_

\- _Martin-001_

\- _Rasheed-007_

\- _Tetsuya-013_

\- _Serin-019**_

\- _Bonnie-021_

\- _Kathryn-025_

\- _Otto-031**_

\- _Kazuma-032_

\- _Mary-049_

\- _Paul-050_

\- _Margaret-053**_

\- _Edward-055_

\- _Carrie-060_

\- _Frank-072_

\- _Blake-073_

\- _Neil-080_

\- _Thomas-085_

\- _Brian-094_

\- _Victor-101**_

\- _Claire-102_

\- _Jason-113_

\- _Mark-115_

\- _Luke-116**_

\- _Matthew-118**_

\- _Elizabeth-119_

\- _Alexander-121_

\- _Christopher-123_

\- _Eric-124_

\- _Michael-135_

\- _Roma-143**_

 _*Emily-002 will undergo amputation to remove her highly disfigured arms. They were crushed by her enhanced muscular structure, with the bones far beyond repair. Unfortunately, cloning a new pair of augmented bones is a much harder, painful, and budget demanding process. Her amputation will not allow for frontline combat-for a time. Since the onset of the Spartan-II Program, research has gone into developing super advanced prosthetic limbs capable of fitting a Spartan's increased physical and mental endurance. Emily will be the first to receive these innovations, hopefully putting her back into active duty. Like most of the other washouts, she will be temporarily placed within ONI to help gather intelligence._

 _Fhajad-084 has unfortunately exhibited the most extreme case of Parkinson's disease since records dating as far back as the twenty-second century. It doesn't help either that he now has a different physical makeup than normal humans, further decreasing the chances of curing his symptoms. His right femur could be regrown or replaced and perhaps still fit within our limited budget._

 _Musa-096 has developed a permanent case of paralysis in the lower abdomen. He represents the biggest annoyance from the results of augmentation: Spartan physiology puts a kink in modern medical practices due to a foreign bodily makeup. What cures and solutions we currently have for normal individuals, fail to apply to the Spartans. 096 has suffered a similar case to 002, albeit in the legs and lower spinal cord. Amputation will commence, but normal, nonfunctioning prosthetics will be applied due to his irreparable motor functions._

 _Ralph-103 is a unique washout candidate in that he will be able to continue to serve within ONI as part of their security force. After the incident with Soren-066, the surgeons and physicians working of Ralph were able to foresee any coming complications to Ralph's body, therefore preventing the inevitable case of his body rejecting the Muscular Enhancement Injections. The Catalytic Thyroid Implant initially failed to comply, but was quickly fixed after the realization of a slight mishap in operation. Despite lacking the par strength of the others, 103 will have more capable muscles, bones, and reflexes than the average soldier. He represents the notion that despite the malformations, he along with the other washouts are still Spartans and will continue to serve alongside their comrades, directly or indirectly._

 _Jerome-092, Douglas-042, and Alice-130 are very lucky that the previous knowledge gained from 103's operation saved them from their bodies also rejecting the Muscular Enhancement Injections. Fortunately however, their bodies were slightly less aggressive with the rejections than 103. As such, the possibility of a second augmentation procedure to carefully re-integrate the injections and retrain them is highly probable. Their blindness is an easy fix (along with 015's) as we can go back, flash clone their eyes, and re-augment them for the results we need._

 _**These seven candidates are, as of now and most likely forever, classified. They were always meant to be so from the beginning. While it's unfortunate the other Spartans will live under the impression their comrades are deceased, they would understand the secrecy under different circumstances._

 _Serin-019 is technically a washout; her body reacted similarly to 103's, except that she accepted the Catalytic Thyroid Implant without fault. Although, everything else failed, nearly costing her life. This resulted in many of her bodily systems skewed to negative performances._

 _The other six notable candidates here are the ones who should be listed as successful augmentees. They did not suffer any ill effects of augmentations, much to my own and ONI's relief._

 _Otto-031, Margaret-053, Victor-101, and Roma-143 make up Spartan Black Team, a specialized black operations team that was mostly trained separate from the rest of the other candidates. They will continue to serve as ONI's primary Black Ops force, taking on the most highly classified missions that make even Grey Team pale in comparison._

 _Like Black Team, Luke-116 and Matthew-118 are a specialized unit trained separately from the others. Even more importantly, they are twin brothers and literal family, enhancing their bond as a cohesive unit. Unsurprisingly, their skillset combined parallels that of even Blue Team. According to ONI, they represent the 'prototype' to a new kind of military unit known as 'Headhunters,' comprised of nothing more than two individual teams assigned extremely dangerous and classified missions behind Insurrectionist lines. Personally, these two are the perfect candidates to see the best first time results in this kind of strategical scenario._

Deja pulled up the files of hers and Halsey's research that went into repairing the washouts' mutations. Fortunately, many of them turned out to be what they were molded into. After years of developing and experimenting on theoretical therapies and surgical procedures to cure them of their abnormalities, Emily, Baird, Kirk, Rene, and Fhajad were successfully resuscitated, retrained, and made back into fully functioning Spartans as intended.

Kirk and Rene underwent a complete bone restructuring process with experimental attendant nanografts that effectively replaced their skeletal system all together, fixing their severely malformed body structures. Fhajad's femur was regrown and replaced, and served as the testing process on total Spartan bone replacement for Kirk and Rene. Furthermore, Dr. Halsey tirelessly worked on developing a cure for Baird's and Kirk's Parkinson's disease, and was able to modify the present cure for modern civilians with the experimental nanografts they had developed for the others. These modifications met the standards for Spartan physiology, and Fhajad and Baird were put back into action not even two months after rehabilitation.

Emily was the easiest of the five. ONI's top designers and engineers quickly developed a Spartan compatible prosthetic limb for her arms. She was retrained to get used to her new physiology, and went on to serve in the fight against the Covenant.

Interestingly, Dr. Halsey remembered seeing Spartan B320 with a Spartan prosthetic back at SWORD Base. Apparently, ONI went to taking an extreme liking to this newfound technology, and adapting it for various Spartan needs.

 _Ironically, the arm that B320 had was 'naked,' for lack of a better term, rather than fully detailed to look like a normal arm. They can't even handle their own budgets, and yet they've griped at me for years for lacking financial management. Hypocrites._

"Deja, do you remember what happened to Soren?" Dr. Halsey asked suddenly.

"Yes Doctor. Soren-066 defected to the Insurgent cause in 2527 and was shot down while attempting to escape Reach with an internal Insurrectionist. His body was never found among the wreckage, leading you to believe he wasn't dead, and simply chose a new life, like he had done so many times before. Why do you ask?"

"Had he stayed with us, he would have received the same cures Rene and Kirk did several years after the incident. I was planning on giving him the choice to receive them, and to be the testing ground for those procedures for his fellow Spartans."

"Soren, as you noted Doctor, was a unique variable in the Spartan-II program. Whether or not he was right in defecting to the Insurrection, he made his stance on his hatred towards you and the program. The likelihood of him complying with the procedures, when the original augmentations had already significantly damaged his view on the program, would have been very minimal."

Dr. Halsey mused on this for a few moments, deciding that despite the unfortunate reality, it was for the best that Soren mysteriously disappeared after the incident. She accessed the rest of the files on the Spartans' whereabouts and statuses over the years. For the most part, they were simply time stamps detailing the disappearances of that year's respective Spartans:

 _2525:_

\- _Leonard-083 and Oscar-129 escaped the Military Complex after augmentations with fellow Spartans Daisy-023, Ralph-103, and Joseph-122. They were refusing to comply with the program no longer after losing so many of their fellow comrades to augmentation. 103, with his access to ONI security, managed to get them all off planet. After leaving Reach's atmosphere, they eventually made it back to their homesteads, only to discover their clones awaiting them, or lack thereof due to death by metabolic cascade failure. This concept played havoc on 083's and 129's psychology, pushing them to commit suicide before they were retrieved by our agents. Fortunately, the other three were successfully retrieved and brought back to Reach._

\- _Ralph-103 was discharged from the Spartan program soon after due to a severe psychological breakdown after murdering his clone, and went on living with an adoptive family._

\- _Samuel-034 has been declared KIA during the Battle of Chi Ceti IV. He infiltrated the lone Covenant vessel alongside John-117 and Kelly-087 and, after receiving a fatal shot to the chest, stayed behind to detonate the Anvil-II missile warheads they had brought aboard, destroying the warship. 117 and 087 evacuated before detonation, and were retrieved by the UNSC Commonwealth. 034 was the first Spartan casualty in the War against the Covenant after augmentation._

 _2526:_

\- _As of this year, only 30 Spartans are officially active, 11 Spartans are still washouts, and 7 are listed as deceased, but are in actuality performing classified assignments._

 _2527:_

\- _As of this year, 34 Spartans are officially active, 7 Spartans are still washouts, and 7 are listed as deceased, but are in actuality performing classified assignments._

\- _Jerome-092, Douglas-042, and Alice-130 have successfully been rehabilitated and retrained as Spartan Red Team. The three of them have been assigned to Harvest to help take back the planet from the Covenant._

\- _Emily-002 has underwent surgery to receive her new Spartan prosthetic arms to replace the mutated limbs she once had as a result of her rejections to the augmentations. She has been assigned to Harvest to help take back the planet from the Covenant._

\- _Soren-066 has been declared MIA after an incident involving his defection to the Insurrection alongside an internal Insurrectionist under the name of "Partch." Together, the two of them hijacked an older model of a C709 Longsword-class Interceptor to escape from Reach, but were chased and shot down, forcing an emergency crash landing. Partch was killed on impact and his body severely burned. 066's body was not found in the wreckage or surrounding area._

 _2531:_

\- _As of this year, 34 Spartans are officially active, 6 Spartans are still washouts, and 7 are listed as deceased, but are in actuality performing classified assignments._

\- _Daisy-023 and Ralph-103 have been declared KIA during the Harvest Campaign after 023 assisted several Marines in evacuating the area alongside 103. 023 was shot by Needler fire and was killed by radiation poisoning from the shards embedded in her chest. 103 and the rest of the Marines were engulfed in an explosion when an Elite armed with a Fuel Rod Gun destroyed their Pelican's engines, resulting in a devastating chain reaction. 023's body and helmet cam data were discovered by John-117 later that day, who was sent to investigate the Marine's whereabouts. It seems that 103 was allowed to join the Marine Corp and was assigned to Harvest._

\- _Lisa-136 met a similar fate as Daisy-023 the next day. She had deployed behind enemy lines with several ODSTs, and was later ambushed by Covenant forces. Separated from her squad, she engaged 25 Covenant Elites without any backup, and managed to take down seven of them before succumbing to Needler fire. The remaining ODSTs had managed to track her location down and found her deceased body._

\- _Spartan Red Team has been declared MIA, alongside the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire. They participated in the Battle of Arcadia, but gave chase to an outgoing Covenant vessel in the aftermath of the Battle, leaving behind no trace of their whereabouts. They have yet to return, or send out any distress signal regarding their location and status. I hold onto hope that Red Team is still alive, but the odds are not in favor of them safely returning._

\- _Kurt-051 has been declared MIA after an unfortunate EVA accident involving a malfunctioning Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine and a ruptured T-PACK. 051, alongside Kelly-087 and Frederick-104, were sent to investigate suspicious activity at Construction Platform 966A in the Groombridge 34 System. 051 went on to search for the anomaly when he came across the malfunctioning Slipspace drive, which played havoc on his suit's systems, rupturing his T-PACK and sending him spinning wildly into space away from the UNSC Circumference. He was never found, as Covenant activity prompted an emergency calling, halting any progress of the search. I refuse to believe he simply disappeared into space. Reports say that there was an "echo" of another Prowler in the area when the Circumference exited slipspace, but was believed to be an error on sensors detecting the Circumference itself as their signal bounced off the nearby moon. I believe ONI has covered up 051's disappearance, somehow. Unfortunately, I cannot acquire any more intel on this matter to make my assumption probable._

 _2532:_

\- _As of this year, 28 Spartans are officially active, 6 Spartans are still washouts, and 7 are listed as deceased, but are in actuality performing classified assignments._

\- _Randall-037 has been declared MIA in the aftermath of the Battle of Vodin. Reports gathered say that during the orbital engagement with the Covenant, Randall was stationed on one of the orbiting Naval skyhooks, defending the station from Covenant troops. When a rogue Banshee crashed into the side of the station, Randall was sucked into the vacuum and fell towards the planet. The colony's central relay station was destroyed, cutting Vodin off from the rest of the UNSC. Covenant activity in the nearby systems forced ONI to not send in search and rescue teams and find Randall, who was presumed dead on impact from his fall. After doing more research, I found that his location could have produced a likely trajectory into Vodin's Pacific Ocean, increasing his odds of survival._

 _2537:_

\- _As of this year, 31 Spartans are officially active, 2 Spartans are still washouts, and 7 are listed as deceased, but are in actuality performing classified assignments._

\- _Spartans Baird-015, Kirk-018, Rene-081, and Fhajad-084 have been successfully rehabilitated from their augmentation rejections and retrained to join their fellow comrades in the war against the Covenant. Cassandra-075 and Musa-096 unfortunately will never be able to undergo rehabilitation efforts even with the newfound technologies reversing a Spartan's augmentations and repairing what was damaged. 075's Fletcher's syndrome continues to grow worse each day, and 096's paralysis cannot be undone lest we risk fatality._

 _2544:_

\- _As of this year...oh what the hell. Why do I keep repeating this sentence? Nothing has changed at all._

\- _I witnessed her death, right in front of me...Sheila-065 has been declared KIA when she tried to protect me from the Covenant on Miridem. I was stationed there for research in MJOLNIR shielding technology reversed engineered from Jackal gauntlets. We were headed to an extraction site when the Covenant attack arrived at my location, with Sheila acting as my bodyguard. When we arrived at the extraction site, the Covenant had already tailed us. Sheila protected me from an Elite Major wielding an energy sword, but she fell to its hands when she was decapitated after a short skirmish between them. I escaped, but my Prowler was chased down by the Covenant and I was kidnapped by the same Elite who had effortlessly defeated_ my _Spartan._

\- _I was eventually rescued by Spartan Blue Team. Although, at a cost. Solomon-069 and Arthur-079 have been declared KIA during OPERATION: WARM BLANKET, the operation undertaken by Blue Team to come retrieve me from the Covenant's grasp. The Spartan's were issued OF92 Booster Frames to navigate the dense Covenant Fleet and locate the vessel I was imprisoned on. John and Kelly's helmet cams confirm that Solomon was killed by a Covenant trap when one of their thermonuclear devices detonated within a dummy ship in the fleet, giving off a false ID signal that copied my own. Arthur was shot down by Covenant Seraph fighters while holding them off as John, Kelly, and Fred made their way to the flagship I was on. Three Spartans killed in action within a matter of days. One to protect me, and two to rescue me. Is my life worth that much sacrifice?_

 _2545:_

\- _28 Spartans are officially active. Nothing else has changed._

\- _On a mission to assassinate a Covenant Prophet on a Covenant world called Heian, Cal-141 sustained serious injuries to the cranium from a Brute's gravity hammer. The mission was successful, but I am denied access to her helmet cam's records. I am only authorized the brief details of the after action report. Apparently, after the shot was fired by one of her ODST escorts, she slipped into a coma, and was reported clinically braindead by the time they were extracted off planet. She was placed into cryo before she flatlined to offset the inevitable, and is currently stationed on the UNSC Hopeful in hopes for rehabilitation. The chances are unlikely. Based on what I know of injuries originating from gravity hammers, you can't repair what's damaged. Cal was lucky enough to survive due to her augmentations and MJOLNIR, but due to her severe injuries, she will no longer be able to serve, or even function normally for that matter. It's an unfortunate circumstance, one that I wish I had the answer to fixing._

 _2551:_

\- _27 Spartans are officially active. Nothing else has changed._

\- _I have received word that Spartan Gray Team is now missing behind enemy lines, unable to be retrieved. I shouldn't worry, as the nature of their missions generally involve these kinds of scenarios. But, I have the uncanny feeling I won't see them for a very long time. Should I personally label them as MIA? No. Not until official word designates them as such. We now only have twenty four official active Spartans..._

Dr. Halsey finished reviewing her files. It was now 0630 in the morning, and the meeting that would detail OPERATION: RED FLAG would happen within the next hour and a half.

So many Spartans had been lost in this war. And yet, the war had been prolonged for almost thirty years. Was it because of their efforts? _No, it's not just their efforts. It's the efforts of the countless men and women who served to protect their loved ones and fulfill their duty to humanity. My Spartans only cemented the mentality that any enemy can be bested, and proved that the Covenant were no different than any other thing you're trying to kill._

"Thank you Deja. That will be all for now."

"Dr. Halsey, respectfully, I would like to continue talking about the surviving Spartans, who will be present at the meeting, and the success rate of RED FLAG."

Dr. Halsey realized how nervous she was after reading through her notes again, opening up old wounds. And how foolish she was to not have asked who was going to be present at the meeting she herself was trying to prepare for.

"Alright Deja, who will be present at the meeting?"

"Ma'am, twenty five Spartans will be attending the meeting today-"

Dr. Halsey interrupted, confused. "Twenty Five? That doesn't add up. By the beginning of this year, we had twenty four active Spartans to be accounted for. At this point in time, we only have twenty three. Jorge is on the other side of the planet preoccupied-"

"I don't mean to interrupt Doctor," Deja said cutting her off. "But, because Spartan Black Team and Gray Team cannot be recalled back to Reach due to their current assignments, Luke-116 and Matthew-118 were reported in system at Beta Gabriel to assist the UNSC _Of Uncommon Courage_ , and have been successfully retrieved and returned back to Reach for RED FLAG."

"What? Does ONI not understand that in doing so, they're jeopardizing the secrecy of the classified Spartan-IIs? The others will raise some serious questions about their whereabouts and how in fact they're even alive, when they've been labeled as-"

"Again, Doctor, you are forgetting mentalities you yourself have tried to set in stone in the past. The others will understand why they were kept secret, whether by true understanding, or not questioning it at all. It's not their place."

Dr. Halsey took a moment to settle herself, and agreed that Deja was correct in her assessment.

"Besides," Deja continued. "RED FLAG is the single most important operation at this point in the war. ONI understands that due to its intentions, and in order for it to be successful, we will need everyone and anyone that's able to be called upon."

"Ok Deja, I understand," she said stressfully. Deja was the only other AI besides Cortana who could beat her in rationality. And she didn't like being told how to think, even if it was the logical outcome. Especially when it dealt with matters that she could have handled better professionally and figured out herself.

"So, twenty five Spartans will be attending the meeting then?"

"That is correct Doctor"

"Good. They're the best we to offer then. That's a minimal effective number of surviving Spartans capable of fighting the Covenant head on that I had anticipated…." She said staring into space thinking, and smiling to herself with newfound hope.

"Are you suggesting that you've changed your mentality on the outcome of the operation?"

She pondered Deja's question carefully. After going through her files again, and realizing that twenty five of the best Spartans who had survived thus far were to be handling RED FLAG, alongside Cortana, _and_ Mark V, which had been designed with RED FLAG in mind, she was a lot more optimistic about it all.

"It has to be this way Deja," she said smirking and shaking her head. "There is no other choice. All the planning, all the research and technological breakthroughs I have made, the contributions _my Spartan's_ have made to the effort….it's all there Deja. I can't hope for a victory, but I can hope for a temporary peace to extend our species' survival, and perhaps figure another way into forcing the Covenant into permanent submission."

"I'm glad to see your newfound approach to the matter Doctor."

"Thank you Deja. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still need to meet with John before the meeting and talk to him about the war and all we have lost. And to let him know of Matthew and Luke. He and the others won't have to question why they're there if I tell them all what had been done. As I have said before, and you pointed out, they'll understand the stakes we had to make all those years ago."

"You're welcome Doctor," Deja said returning her thanks. "But, if I may, can I ask you one more question before you leave?"

"Of course Deja."

"Do you honestly think, that with all who will partake in the mission, Cortana included, and with the technological edge of Mark V, that your Spartans are truly ready for what's all at stake here?"

"Yes, Deja. I truly believe they are. It's what they've been called upon to do. And that, my dear friend, is what they'll achieve."

She walked out of her office to meet John at the amphitheater.


End file.
